System and method for guiding a user to a goal in a user interface

Abstract

A system for integrating a telephone system and a computing system includes an interactive voice response (IVR) platform configured to: obtain a command based on an audio input from a user, determine a web application that corresponds to the command, determine a goal in the web application associated with the command, and obtain information indicating a shortest user interface path to the goal. The system includes a cobrowse client configured to receive a document object model (DOM) of a current state of the web application from a cobrowse session. The IVR platform is configured to, based on the DOM, determine a next user interface action along the shortest user interface path and generate a voice prompt for the user based on the next user interface action. The cobrowse client is configured to receive an updated DOM in response to execution by the user of the next user interface action.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A system for integrating a telephone system and a computing system, the system comprising:
 an interactive voice response (IVR) platform configured to:
 obtain a computer-readable command based on an audio input from a user, and 
 in response to obtaining the computer-readable command, (i) determine a web application that corresponds to the computer-readable command, (ii) determine a goal in the web application associated with the computer-readable command, and (iii) obtain information indicating a shortest user interface path to the goal in the web application relative to other user interface paths to the goal in the web application; and 
 
 a cobrowse client configured to receive a document object model (DOM) of a current state of the web application from a cobrowse session for a web server hosting the web application, 
 wherein the IVR platform is configured to:
 based on the DOM from the cobrowse client, determine a next user interface action along the shortest user interface path, and 
 generate a voice prompt for the user based on the next user interface action, and 
 
 wherein the cobrowse client is configured to receive an updated DOM in response to execution by the user of the next user interface action. 
 
     
     
       2. The system of  claim 1  wherein the IVR platform is configured to connect to the cobrowse client using a headless browser. 
     
     
       3. The system of  claim 1  wherein obtaining the audio input from the user includes obtaining the audio input via a telephone of the user. 
     
     
       4. The system of  claim 1  wherein the IVR platform is configured to:
 obtain a cobrowse session identifier from the user; 
 transmit the cobrowse session identifier to the cobrowse session; and 
 receive the DOM of the current state in response to transmitting the cobrowse session identifier. 
 
     
     
       5. The system of  claim 4  wherein obtaining the cobrowse session identifier includes generating a voice instruction for the user that requests the user to (i) initiate the cobrowse session and (ii) provide the cobrowse session identifier to the IVR platform. 
     
     
       6. The system of  claim 1  wherein the IVR platform is configured to, in response to expiration of a predetermined time period subsequent to generating the voice prompt during which no updated DOM is received:
 determine a reinforcement based on the next user interface action along the shortest user interface path, and 
 generate an audio reinforcement prompt for the user based on the determined reinforcement. 
 
     
     
       7. The system of  claim 6  wherein the audio reinforcement prompt specifies a location of a user interface element associated with the next user interface action. 
     
     
       8. A method for integrating a telephone system and a computer system comprising:
 obtaining a computer-readable command based on an audio input from a user; 
 determining a web application that corresponds to the computer-readable command; 
 determining a goal in the web application associated with the computer-readable command; 
 obtaining information indicating a shortest user interface path to the goal in the web application relative to other user interface paths to the goal in the web application; 
 receiving a document object model (DOM) of a current state of the web application from a cobrowse session for a web server hosting the web application; 
 determining a next user interface action along the shortest user interface path; 
 generating a voice prompt for the user based on the next user interface action; and 
 receiving an updated DOM in response to execution by the user of the next user interface action. 
 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 8  wherein receiving the DOM of the current state of the web application includes accessing a cobrowse client via a headless browser. 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 8  wherein obtaining the audio input from the user includes obtaining the audio input via a telephone of the user. 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 8  further comprising:
 obtaining a cobrowse session identifier from the user; and 
 transmitting the cobrowse session identifier to the cobrowse session, 
 wherein receiving the DOM of the current state includes receiving the DOM in response to transmitting the cobrowse session identifier. 
 
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 11  wherein obtaining the cobrowse session identifier includes generating a voice instruction for the user that requests the user to (i) initiate the cobrowse session and (ii) provide the cobrowse session identifier via a PSTN. 
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 8  further comprising, in response to expiration of a predetermined time period subsequent to generating the voice prompt during which no updated DOM is received:
 determining a reinforcement based on the next user interface action along the shortest user interface path, and 
 generating an audio reinforcement prompt for the user based on the determined reinforcement. 
 
     
     
       14. The method of  claim 13  wherein the audio reinforcement prompt specifies a location of a user interface element associated with the next user interface action. 
     
     
       15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing processor-executable instructions, the instructions comprising:
 obtaining a computer-readable command based on an audio input from a user; 
 determining a web application that corresponds to the computer-readable command; 
 determining a goal in the web application associated with the computer-readable command; 
 obtaining information indicating a shortest user interface path to the goal in the web application relative to other user interface paths to the goal in the web application; 
 receiving a document object model (DOM) of a current state of the web application from a cobrowse session for a web server hosting the web application; 
 determining a next user interface action along the shortest user interface path; 
 generating a voice prompt for the user based on the next user interface action; and 
 receiving an updated DOM in response to execution by the user of the next user interface action. 
 
     
     
       16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 15  wherein obtaining the audio input from the user includes obtaining the audio input via a telephone of the user. 
     
     
       17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 15 , the instructions comprising:
 obtaining a cobrowse session identifier from the user; and 
 transmitting the cobrowse session identifier to the cobrowse session, 
 wherein receiving the DOM of the current state includes receiving the DOM in response to transmitting the cobrowse session identifier. 
 
     
     
       18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 17  wherein obtaining the cobrowse session identifier includes generating a voice instruction for the user that requests the user to (i) initiate the cobrowse session and (ii) provide the cobrowse session identifier via a PSTN. 
     
     
       19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 15 , the instructions comprising, in response to expiration of a predetermined time period subsequent to generating the voice prompt during which no updated DOM is received:
 determining a reinforcement based on the next user interface action along the shortest user interface path, and 
 generating an audio reinforcement prompt for the user based on the determined reinforcement. 
 
     
     
       20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 19  wherein the audio reinforcement prompt specifies a location of a user interface element associated with the next user interface action. 
     
     
       21. A system for integrating a telephone system and a computing system, the system comprising:
 an interactive voice response (IVR) platform configured to:
 obtain a computer-readable command based on an audio input from a user, and 
 in response to obtaining the computer-readable command, (i) determine a web application that corresponds to the computer-readable command, (ii) determine a goal in the web application associated with the computer-readable command, and (iii) obtain information indicating a shortest user interface path to the goal in the web application; and 
 
 a cobrowse client configured to receive a document object model (DOM) of a current state of the web application from a cobrowse session for a web server hosting the web application, 
 wherein the IVR platform is configured to:
 based on the DOM from the cobrowse client, determine a next user interface action along the shortest user interface path, and 
 generate a voice prompt for the user based on the next user interface action, and 
 
 wherein the cobrowse client is configured to receive an updated DOM in response to execution by the user of the next user interface action, 
 wherein the IVR platform is configured to:
 obtain a cobrowse session identifier from the user; 
 transmit the cobrowse session identifier to the cobrowse session; and 
 receive the DOM of the current state in response to transmitting the cobrowse session identifier, and 
 
 wherein obtaining the cobrowse session identifier includes generating a voice instruction for the user that requests the user to (i) initiate the cobrowse session and (ii) provide the cobrowse session identifier to the IVR platform.